Chapter 6
The room was dead silent.
Marcus stood frozen, his mouth slightly open. Sabrina's hand flew to her throat. Eleanor's eyes darted around the room, calculating.
The department heads looked from Claire to Marcus and back again, trying to process what was happening.
“You can't do this,” Marcus finally said. His voice cracked. “I'm the director. The board—”
“The board works for me,” Claire said. “And if any of them have a problem with that, they can join you in unemployment.”
She turned to face the room.
“First announcement. Marcus Whitaker is fired. Effective immediately. He is to be escorted from the building by security within the next ten minutes. He is to take nothing with him but his personal belongings. His access to all hospital accounts, systems, and properties is revoked as of now.”
“You can't fire me!” Marcus shouted. He slammed his fist on the table. “I built this place! You were just a nurse—”
“I was the owner,” Claire corrected. “Working as a nurse to understand the needs of my patients and staff. Something you clearly never bothered to do.”
She turned to the head of security, who had appeared in the doorway, confused by the commotion.
“Mr. Carter, please escort Mr. Whitaker out. And make sure he doesn't speak to any staff members on his way.”
Mr. Carter looked at Marcus, then at Claire. He had worked at the hospital for twenty years. He had known William Bennett.
“Yes, ma'am,” he said.
Two security guards stepped forward.
“Get your hands off me!” Marcus struggled as they took his arms. “I'll sue you for this! You'll never get away with it, Claire!”
“Second announcement,” Claire said, raising her voice over his shouts. “Sabrina Collins is also fired. For fraud, conspiracy, and misrepresenting her professional credentials. She is to leave immediately as well.”
Sabrina stood up, her face crumpling. “You can't prove anything! I'm a nurse—”
“You have a business degree from the University of Oregon,” Claire said. “No nursing license. No clinical training. You were hired by Marcus specifically to help him undermine me. Security, please see her out as well.”
Sabrina burst into tears as the guards led her away.
Claire turned to Eleanor, who was still sitting at the table, her face composed but her eyes furious.
“Eleanor Whitaker.”
Eleanor lifted her chin. “You have no authority over me. I'm not an employee of this hospital.”
“No,” Claire agreed. “But you are on the board of a shell company that has been defrauding this hospital for three years. And I have your signature on the documents.”
Eleanor's composure cracked.
“Mr. Carter,” Claire said, “please call the police. Tell them we have a suspect in a twelve-million-dollar fraud case who is currently in our conference room.”
Eleanor stood up so fast her chair scraped the floor.
“You wouldn't dare,” she hissed.
“Try me.”
For a long moment, the two women stared at each other. Then Eleanor grabbed her purse and stormed toward the door.
“This isn't over,” she spat.
“I know,” Claire said.
The door slammed behind her.
Silence returned to the conference room.
The department heads sat in stunned silence, looking at Claire as if they were seeing her for the first time. The quiet, hardworking nurse they had known was gone. In her place stood the woman who owned the building.
Dr. Chen, the chief of medicine, was the first to speak.
“Claire... I mean, Dr. Bennett. Is this true? You own the hospital?”
“Every word,” Claire said. She sat down in Marcus's chair at the head of the table. It felt surprisingly comfortable. “And I know this is a shock. But I want you all to know one thing: I am not here to tear this hospital down. I'm here to fix what Marcus broke.”
She opened the folder and pulled out several documents, sliding them across the table to each department head.
“These are the staffing ratios Marcus approved. They are dangerous. They put our patients at risk. Effective immediately, we are returning to the safe staffing levels my father established. Every position Marcus cut will be restored within thirty days.”
Dr. Chen's eyes widened as he read the papers. “But the budget—”
“Will be adjusted,” Claire said. “Marcus was siphoning twelve million dollars a year into his own pocket. That money will now go back into patient care. Into your departments. Into your salaries.”
A murmur of approval went around the table.
“Third announcement,” Claire continued. “The proposed cuts to the ICU and pediatric departments are canceled. Instead, we will be expanding both. My father believed that critical care and children's services were the heart of this hospital. And I agree.”
Nurse Emily, the head of ICU, wiped a tear from her eye. She had been one of the few who had looked Claire in the eye after the firing.
“Fourth,” Claire said. “I want a full audit of every department. Every expense. Every contract. If anyone else has been participating in Marcus's fraud, now is the time to come forward. Do it voluntarily, and we will be lenient. Wait until we find you, and you will face the full consequences.”
She looked around the table, her gaze steady.
“I know many of you were afraid to speak up. Marcus was your boss. He held your careers in his hands. I understand that. But things are different now. This hospital belongs to the people who work here. To the patients who depend on us. And I will protect both.”
She stood up.
“This meeting is adjourned. Please return to your duties. And thank you. For staying. For caring. For doing the work that matters.”
The department heads stood up, some looking dazed, others smiling. Nurse Emily walked over to Claire and squeezed her hand.
“Your father would be so proud,” she whispered.
Claire smiled back. She hoped so.
As the room cleared, Jonathan Reed walked in. He had been waiting outside, listening.
“That went better than I expected,” he said.
Claire sat back in the chair, suddenly exhausted. The adrenaline was wearing off.
“They bought it?”
“They bought it. And they're on your side. That's half the battle.”
“What's the other half?”
Jonathan's face grew serious.
“Marcus won't go quietly. He has money. He has connections. And he's desperate. Desperate people do desperate things.”
May you like
Claire thought of Sophie.
“Then we need to be ready for whatever he does next.”
